1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to articles and furnishings for use in resting and sleeping, and more specifically to a pillow having at least two different fill materials providing different levels of firmness in different areas of the pillow. The present multiple firmness pillow is particularly adapted for use as an inner pillow with the pillow covers or cases described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,904 issued on Feb. 2, 1999 to the present inventor, and incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional pillows are not well adapted for a person who prefers to sleep in the prone (i.e., face down) position, as opposed to those who sleep in the supine (lying upon the back) position, or resting upon one's side. Such conventional pillows require the sleeper to turn the head to the side in order to breathe, due to the continuous soft and resilient nature of the pillow which essentially surrounds the portion of the head or face placed thereon. This may result in muscular cramps and a stiff neck for the sleeper upon arising, due to the continuous strain placed upon the neck while sleeping in the prone position for hours.
This problem has been recognized in the past, and many persons have attempted to develop solutions for it, as exemplified in the related art discussed further below. These pillows and the like of the prior art, generally provided a pillow or pillows, mattress structure, etc. with a gap in the center thereof, in which a resting person could place his/her face while in a prone position during rest or sleep. However, such pillows generally follow conventional pillow practice of the prior art, and are relatively soft and compliant. Thus, the weight of a person's head resting upon the sides of the pillow, result in the face sinking downwardly between the pillows to the extent that the resting person's face contacts the underlying structure, thus resulting in no real improvement in the situation where the resting person wishes to assume a prone position and yet requires a clear airway for breathing while prone.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a pillow which is provided with different fill material, to provide dual firmness areas in the pillow. With two such dual firmness pillows, a resting person may position the pillows in a mirror image relationship to one another, with their firmer areas slightly spaced apart but facing one another. In this manner, a resting person may position their upper face and forehead to rest upon the areas of the pillows having the greater firmness, with those firmer areas supporting the weight of the head and holding the head clear of the mattress, bedding, or other underlying structure.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 830,970 issued on Sep. 11, 1906 to Benjamin F. Cary, titled "Sham Pillow," describes a device comprising two relatively thin and stiff backing plates with upturned edges (shown in FIG. 4 of the document), and filled with a soft, resilient material. The two backing plates are secured together by hinges. As such, the Cary sham pillow is more closely related to the interconnected dual pillow covers of U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,904 issued to the present inventor and discussed further below, than to the present multiple firmness pillow invention. Cary does not disclose any specific fill material for his sham pillow, nor does he suggest the use of multiple fill materials of different densities or firmnesses, as provided by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,810,920 issued on Oct. 29, 1957 to Walter T. Carruth, titled "Mattress," describes a mattress having a rectangular recess in the head end thereof, in which a pair of spaced apart inserts or a single insert of substantially the same size as the recess, may be placed. A board is provided beneath the head end of the mattress, with a removable panel. The Carruth mattress is adapted to allow an ill person lying prone thereon, to expectorate or vomit through the recess and opening in the underlying board. No suggestion is made of any dual firmness material in any of the inserts of the Carruth mattress attachments.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,952,856 issued on Sep. 20, 1960 to Clarence B. Ruff, titled "Adjustable Pillow Support," describes a pair of pillows comprising inflatable or stuffed bladders or casings, with a cover which may be secured between the two. The cover includes a sheet of material extending between the individual covers or cases for the two pillows. While Ruff notes that the pillows may be inflated or stuffed with other material in order to vary their firmness, he makes no suggestion of any provision for multiple firmness materials being placed in one or both of the pillows, or of any partition within either or both pillows for separating bladders or compartments containing fill material of different firmnesses or inflated to different pressures.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,172 issued on Nov. 21, 1961 to Frances H. Eidam, titled "Head Suspending Pillow," describes a pillow having a triangular cross section with three different firmnesses of material therein. A relatively hard triangular wedge of material serves as a base for the pillow, with a pad of material having a medium firmness being placed over the lower or thinner portion of the harder material. A third material having softer properties is placed atop the thicker area of the hardest or firmest material. A U-shaped cutout is formed vertically through the thickest portion of the pillow. The Eidam pillow is adapted to cradle the head in the U-shaped portion while providing minimum contact with curlers, pins, or other devices placed in the hair. However, the Eidam pillow is not well adapted for holding the head well clear of the mattress or other underlying surface, as the portion of the pillow in contact with the head is relatively soft but supported by a firmer material therebeneath. In contrast, the present multiple firmness pillow provides a relatively firm fill material for placement beneath the head, which firm fill material extends completely from the upper portion to the lower portion of the pillow. In other words, the divisions between the fill materials in the present pillow are disposed vertically, rather than primarily angularly, as in the Eidam pillow. Moreover, the Eidam pillow is not configured for installation in a generally rectangular pillow cover or case such as the pillow cover of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,904 issued to the present inventor, with which the present multiple firmness pillow is compatible.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,315,282 issued on Apr. 25, 1967 to Andrew Lowery et al., titled "Headrest For Cosmetic Use And The Like," describes two embodiments of a generally wedge shaped pillow, having a configuration and function generally along the lines of the pillow of the '172 Patent to Eidam, discussed immediately above. The same points of distinction noted between the Eidam pillow and the present invention, are seen to apply here as well. Moreover, the Lowery et al. pillow includes a central passage for the face of the user, with a hard shell being provided to support an opening thereunder for breathing. Lowery et al. use hard shells of material in other areas of their pillow, as well. The Lowery et al. pillow, as well as the Eidam pillow discussed above, are incapable of being used with a conventional pillowcase, as opposed to the present, generally rectangular multiple firmness pillow.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,831 issued on Oct. 3, 1972 to Harry T. Treace, titled "Medical Head Support," describes a pillow having opposed wedge shaped upper surfaces for cradling the head, with a central opening through the base portion of the pillow. The upper surfaces of the pillow are covered with a thin layer of relatively softer foam material. However, the Treace pillow is adapted particularly for use in the medical field, for supporting the head during ear or neurosurgery. Treace states that the softer foam material is sufficiently porous to allow a face down user to breathe therethrough. This is necessary, because the central passage does not communicate with the exterior of the pillow through the side(s). Thus, it does not provide a breathing passage for a person lying face down upon the pillow, as the upper portion is blocked by the user's head and face, and the lower portion is blocked by the underlying surface. Accordingly, Treace must provide a softer, breathable foam material in the upper layer of his pillow, whereas the present multiple firmness pillow provides a relatively firm portion in one corner thereof, which extends completely from top to bottom of the pillow for providing good head support and holding the head clear of the underlying surface. Two such pillows of the present invention, when spaced a few inches apart from one another, provide clearance for breathing therebetween, and can be used with the pillow covers of the '904 U.S. Patent to the present inventor, unlike the Treace pillow, which cannot be used with a conventional, generally rectangular pillowcase.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,673 issued on Jun. 23, 1981 to Harry B. Kifferstein, titled "Disposable Adjustable Headrest And Pillow," describes a pair of pillows for placement in a relatively large pillowcase. Kifferstein describes various arrangements of the two pillows and the pillowcase in which the pillows are installed adjacent one another or separated by some distance. When the two pillows are somewhat separated from one another, the pillowcase extends between them, forming a connecting web. This web is disposed approximately medially relative to the height of the pillows, and thus does not provide clearance for the face of a person lying face down upon the pillows, as does the present invention. Moreover, Kifferstein does not suggest the use of different firmnesses of fill material in his pillows, as provided by the present multiple firmness pillow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,345 issued on Aug. 24, 1982 to Leonard Holtz, titled "Head Support," describes various embodiments of pairs of interconnecting straps for securing two pillows together. Thus, the Holtz head support invention is more closely related to U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,904 previously issued to the present inventor, than to the present invention. Holtz notes that the pillows may be inflated with air, or may be stuffed with a loose or cohesive solid fill material. However, Holtz does not make any suggestion of the installation or use of two or more different fill materials having different firmnesses, as provided by the present multiple firmness pillow invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,920 issued on Nov. 1, 1988 to Aaron L. White, titled "Angular Sleeper's Pillow And Pillowcase," describes a specially shaped pillow having a depending area to one side thereof, for supporting the head of a user when the user's head is not symmetrically placed upon the pillow. White notes that two such pillows may be secured symmetrically together, by means of a specially formed pillowcase. However, the White pillow cannot be adapted for placement within a conventional rectangular pillowcase, as can the present pillow. Moreover, the White pillow does not include multiple fill materials having different firmnesses, as does the present multiple firmness pillow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,904 issued on Feb. 2, 1999 to the present inventor, titled "Bed Pillow," describes pillows encased in a pair of interconnected pillow covers, which in turn have protective pillowcases removably installed thereover. The outer pillowcases include bottom openings therein, for stuffing the pillows and their pillow covers into the cases and still providing clearance for the interconnecting strap between the pillow covers. The present inventor's '904 U.S. Patent notes the importance of providing sufficient firmness for the pillows to hold the user's face clear of the underlying surface when in a prone position, and suggests the use of multiple pillows stuffed within each pillow cover to provide the desired firmness. However, no mention is made in the present inventor's issued patent of any provision for pillows having multiple firmness, as provided by the present invention.
Finally, British Patent Publication No. 2,130,086 published on May 31, 1984 to James Putnam, titled "Improvements Relating To Back Supporting Cushions For Seats," describes a back support cushion having a rigid (i.e., plywood) back surface supporting a cushion with a raised central portion for supporting the spine and opposed raised lateral bolster areas. Putnam notes that the side supports or bolsters are preferably of a harder material than the remainder of the cushion, but the Putnam cushion cannot be used to support the head of a prone sleeper to allow the sleeper to breathe. In contrast, the present pillow, with its firmer fill offset to one corner, is particularly adapted for use with a mating such pillow for supporting the head of a prone sleeper therebetween.
None of the above inventions and patents, either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.